The 50 km long Sao Jorge island provides a wide variety of dives, with great spots highlighted by vertiginous walls, rock formations and caves following the profile of its volcanic surface.
If you visit Sao Jorge island you have to dive the «Gruta Dos Corais», a spot near the coast where you will start the dive in a platform with different hollows where many typical species of Azores: damselfish, moray eels, octopus or wrasses lie always here. At 24 meters deep you’ll access to the cave itself, filled with black coral of different tones and sizes. The inside of the cave is full of prawns and anthias, providing great color to the inside. Another interesting cave is the «Mouro de Lemos», a 15 meter long volcanic wall inhabited by many prawns and anthias. Following the wall there is a 30 meter deep spot that receives strong current where you can access the open ocean to see schools of pelagic fish like carangidae and jacks and some black coral.
Sao Jorge also has natural reserves like «Ilhéu do Topo». This dive, accessible by boat, can be complicated because of the currents but it is at very shallow depths, maximum 23 meters. There you’ll dive with different species of moray eels and a great representation of the typical fauna of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. In the deepest areas it is possible to see schools of pelagic fish as barracudas, huge carangids and blue whiting.
A curious and simple dive you can do in Sao Jorge is «Portinhos da Urzelina». Through natural pools you’ll enter different caves in shallow water where natural light plays a very important role. This cave has yellow walls full of corals, with black rays, moray eels, salema porgys, wrasse or blue whitings. A highly recommended diving spot for the less skilled divers and very interesting for night dives.
